Since I take a lot of history courses, I have had the chance to become familiar with the library search engine Primo, as well as online course reserves and academic journal databases. A particularly interesting website I was able to use was a digitized historical diary of a midwife, where I could read and flip the actual (scanned) pages.
My major is theatre, and my exposure to digital tools and resources in that area has been limited. The techniques used in theatre production are partially about tradition and partially about the way that older theatre spaces are built-without the capability of adapting to new technology. One theatrical figure I did learn about was Robert La Page, a Canadian director who is famous for being extremely innovative in integrating many types of technology into his shows.
A preview of Robert Lepage's Lipsynch
In terms of future possibilities, the relationship between theatre and technology is growing, albeit slowly. As noted in A Companion to Digital Humanities, computerized programs for use in lighting and sound are the norm, and scene design is transitioning from physical to virtual models and computerized movement systems (Saltz).
What I find most exciting is work like LePage's, which uses media technology to enhance a performance in every area- from design, to acting, to audience experience. As Saltz says,"Such performances can have a profound impact on the way the art forms are conceived, collapsing the neat ontological divide that once separated (or seemed to separate) the live performing arts from reproductive media such as film and video." With media technology constantly progressing, I think an integrated approach between theatre and digital media might just be a way to breath new life into an old art form.
Works Cited
Saltz, David Z."Performing Arts". A Companion to Digital Humanities. Ed. Susan Schreibman, Ray Siemens, John Unsworth. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. Web. http://www.digitalhumanities.org/companion/
Vanessa, how did you see Lepage's work as showing the collapsing metioned by Saltz? (Nice use of the embedded video too)
ReplyDeleteI didn't! I went back and found it, I must have skipped over it the first time I read through. Either that or I saw it and had a case of cryptomnesia!
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